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I have always used watercolour pencils for colouring, as they are reasonably cheap but look good when done right, but the problem is, I've never really had a tutorial on how to use them properly, and now I am wanting to blend and shade, I'm not quite sure how to do it?
Do you put down the lightest colour first, then the darker colour and wash over the top of both? As that seems to make the darker colour not show up so much. Or do you wash the light colour and while still wet draw on the darker colour and wash again? This doesn't seem to blend as well. Or do you wait for the 1st colour to dry then add 2nd colour, then wash again?
Help!
Also I have a few Tombow markers, but unless using watercolour paper, can't seem to get them to blend easily. Is there a technique to this?
Copics over here a ridiculously priced, and I can't look at the colours as they don't stock them in the store. (They are $11 each!) They have some Tri-art markers though, are they similar? What about the zig pens?
Oh please help all you colouring experts. I want to get really professional results now.
I'm unaware of what is readily available to you ...
But I personally believe that a better alternative to 'watercolor' pencils is using highly pigmented pencils, such as PrismaColor Pencils with either odorless mineral spirits or baby oil as the blending agents, produces a beautiful coloring effect ... allowing for lovely shading as well.
You might search the SCS galleries for 'gamsol', 'baby oil'. or 'odorless mineral spirits' to view examples.
I tried to look for the prismas and gamsol, and even though the prismas were there, the art supply shop didn't even know what Gamsol is, and I told him it was odourless mineral spirits but he gave me something and when I got it home it didn't work with the pencil.
Not sure whether this is the way to do it or not but it works for me.. generally, I colour the image with the lightest colour and then add the shading of the darker colour pencil and then paint with the water. Now I think of it, sometimes I just colour with the lightest colour and then touch the wet paintbrush to the tip of the darker colour pencil before I paint the image. This way, a little of the darker colour is incorporated into the lighter colour. Hope this makes sense!
With ordinary coloured pencils, I find that a blender pencil works a treat. You layer the colours down and then go over them with the blender pencil (I have a Derwent one, costs about 2$ here). This merges the colours together nicely.
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I tried to look for the prismas and gamsol, and even though the prismas were there, the art supply shop didn't even know what Gamsol is, and I told him it was odourless mineral spirits but he gave me something and when I got it home it didn't work with the pencil.
Our range is Very limited over here.
Gamsol is a brand name. Mona Lisa odorless mineral spirits or something similar is what you would use. I, personally, use Turpenoid Natural which is usually near the good paint brushes in the art section. But, I have more experience with watercolor pencils. I think it's better to use Prismacolor or Derwent, if your wallet allows. I know this is no help but I think you should just play around and write down what you did on the back.
__________________ By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius
I have always used watercolour pencils for colouring, as they are reasonably cheap but look good when done right, but the problem is, I've never really had a tutorial on how to use them properly, and now I am wanting to blend and shade, I'm not quite sure how to do it?
Do you put down the lightest colour first, then the darker colour and wash over the top of both? As that seems to make the darker colour not show up so much. Or do you wash the light colour and while still wet draw on the darker colour and wash again? This doesn't seem to blend as well. Or do you wait for the 1st colour to dry then add 2nd colour, then wash again?
Help!
Also I have a few Tombow markers, but unless using watercolour paper, can't seem to get them to blend easily. Is there a technique to this?
Copics over here a ridiculously priced, and I can't look at the colours as they don't stock them in the store. (They are $11 each!) They have some Tri-art markers though, are they similar? What about the zig pens?
Oh please help all you colouring experts. I want to get really professional results now.
Here is a really great water colour pencil tutorial from dirty girl, chupa (Iwona Palamountain) from the There She Goes Blog. Iwona does some incredible water colouring with pencils so this will get you off to an excellent start.
As for Tombow Markers, I would suggest only trying to water colour with them on water colour paper. If you would like to use another kind of paper then you might want to use a blender pen to blend the colours. A water brush will not only pill and warp any cardstock that isn't water colour paper, but it will not saturate the marker fast enough before it soaks into the paper to blend it well - and will just end up being frustrating in the end - at least for me it was ;)
Using watercolour pencils
